Friday, June 14, 2013

Concert Review: Party in the Park w/Southside Johnny

It's not like they're pickling their bodies in alcohol or
making arrangements to join Walt Disney and Ted Williams in frozen limbo, but
at this rate let me Jimmy the Greek it for ya: Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
are gonna be here forever. If the fork in the road
gives you a choice of either The E Street Band or The Asbury Jukes,
juke it, baby. The road may be rougher and tougher, but there is still rock 'n'
roll paradise to be found when you get there.

It's basically a barroom-rock outfit -- the soundtrack to
come-ons, fist fights, and nine-ball. The band is relentless, as demonstrated Thursday
night at the first dry night of the season for Party in the Park. Southside
Johnny's vocals were a little ragged, but that just added more twist and torque
to the gut wrench. It was a bit loud (I could hear it from Broad Street), but
when it's good, loud is a plus.

The band's un-self-aware joy was illustrated by periodic
jumping around -- not like ninjas or methodically cool rock 'n' roll stars with
their screw face and gunfighter stance, but as 4-year-olds taking utter delight
in the beat. An estimated 2,500 people or so braved the cool, rejoicing in the
blue sky and the righteous blue-eyed soul.